Malcolm Van Buren Makes History As Royals Complete 7-6 Comeback Win Over Twins

Burlington, N.C. - The Royals fell into a deficit early in the game, one deeper than they had come back from all season. However, the team rallied and made some history along the way in a 7-6 comeback win over the Elizabethton Twins.
The Twins started the scoring very early. With one out in the top of the first, Parker Phillips brought home DaShawn Keirsey on an RBI single. After that, Trevor Jensen followed with a sacrifice fly, then Anthony Prato with an RBI single of his own before Janigson Villalobos capped off the inning with a three-run double that gave Elizabethton a 6-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Royals cut the deficit in half on a Jesus Atencio three-run homer. Just one innning later, Burlington's Maikel Garcia hit an RBI triple and Michael Massey smacked an RBI single to make it a 6-5 game.
The top of the seventh saw Elizabethton load the bases courtesy of two runners reaching on dropped third strikes and another on a walk. To escape unscathed, Malcolm Van Buren collected five strikeouts in that frame. He accomplished a feat that has been done by few in the minor leagues (the exact number is not clear) and none in MLB.
After that, the motivated Royals tied the game in the bottom of the seventh after Garcia took advantage of a wild throw to third on a stolen base attempt. Then, in the bottom of the eighth, Burle Dixon slapped a single to right that brought home Rafael Romero and gave Burlington the 7-6 lead it carried to the end.
Royals lefty Zack Phillips moves up to 4-1 on the season with his win tonight, while Twins right-hander Ryan Shreve took the loss and now owns an 0-2 record.
Burlington has Thursday off before hitting the road to face the Kingsport Mets on Friday, where first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The Royals return home on August 8 to play the Danville Braves.
Single-game tickets are on sale now. Call 336-222-0223 or visit www.burlingtonroyals.com for more information.